JCPenney launches Facebook e-commerce store

JCPenney launched a Facebook e-commerce application on December 15, allowing consumers to make purchases from the company's “fan” page on the social network. Social e-commerce firm Usablenet developed the application.

The app is the first of its kind that Usablenet has built, said Jason Taylor, VP of global product strategies at Usablenet.

“It closes the loop on the missing component of Facebook from a revenue-generating and tracking perspective,” he said. “It extends the e-commerce environment into Facebook, so all the info that's important to the brand from ROI, conversion rates and other kinds of tracking are extended as well.”

The online shopping application allows consumers to browse and buy from a selection of thousands of products, and to share what they've purchased on the social network.

Major retail brands have been challenged in extending their existing e-commerce websites in a way that automatically syncs with the social media version, Taylor said. He adds that he expects other retailers to soon launch similar applications.

“Mobile and Facebook are the two biggest areas our clients want to be in,” Taylor said, whose client list includes Macy's, Kenneth Cole and American Eagle. “We see this as being a very big growth area going into 2011.”